A Chef’s Tender Secrets for Perfect Scones

A CHEF’STENDER SECRETS{

PERFECTSCONES

by Sherry SwansonAnna Sawin photos

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Scones are a gracious nibble for guests: nobs of sweet butter, nestled in ethereal layers of delicately sweet pastry. Pull these out of your culinary bag-of-tricks and your guests will eagerly return for more. Many countries claim scones as their own, including Scotland, Ireland or England, but their genesis isn’t nearly as important as their flavor and texture: wherever they came from, scones are delicious. Serve this tasty

pastry in the morning with a cup of coffee, in the afternoon with a bit of tea, or as dessert at the end of an elegant meal. You can even use a miniature version as an hors d’oeuvre.

A great host provides good food and hospitality. You don’t need a culinary degree to share great food with your friends and family, but you do need a few basic recipes and then enough knowledge to riff on those recipes.

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The perfect dish to start with is scones: they’re versatile, they can be savory or sweet, served with or without toppings, and at any time of day. And convenient, these delicious treats can be frozen. When unexpected guests drop by you can bake fresh scones and serve them warm. They can be enjoyed with jam, clotted cream or just on their own. The possibilities are endless and the flavor profiles are, too.

There is a magic to baking, and the magic of scones comes from a super hot oven. The intense heat turns the water in the butter to steam, and lifting the flour and butter into flaky layers of buttery goodness. The interior is pillowy soft while the exterior is crisp. While they’re not difficult to make, here are few techniques that will help you create perfect, flaky-tender scones.

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SCONES ARE AGRACIOUS NIBBLE

FOR GUESTS

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Mix dry, then wet - Mix the dry ingredients fully, then the wet ingredients fully and then add the wet to the dry and mix.

Don’t over-work the dough - The more you work with the dough the more you create gluten. Too much gluten and the scones will be tough. Once you pour the liquid ingredients into the dry, mix by hand with a flexible bowl scraper so that you don’t overwork it. You want the ingredients to just bind together.

Preheat your oven - You need a hot oven to create steam. If your oven is still preheating, the butter will melt and your scones will be flat and oily.

Freeze scones for 30 minutes - If you freeze raw dough, the butter will not melt and the steam will lift the pastry into flaky layers.

If using frozen fruit - Keep the fruit frozen and toss with a little of the flour mixture (before you add the wet ingredients)

Mix-in ingredients - Toss semi-wet ingredients with some of the flour (from the recipe - don’t add extra flour or the scone will be dry)

If using fruit that isn’t ripe, you can roast in an oven, grill, or sauté in a pan to intensify the flavors.

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YOU NEED A FEW BASIC RECIPES AND THEN ENOUGH KNOWLEDGE TO RIFF ON THOSE RECIPES.

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BASE RECIPE

Vanilla Scones

(Based on King Arthur Flour recipe)

INGREDIENTS2 3/4 cups King Arthur All-Purpose Flour 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold or frozen butter

1 1/2 cups chopped dried fruit, chocolate or other flavored chips, nuts, or a combination

2 large eggs

3 teaspoons vanilla extract or flavoring, of your choice

3/4 cup half and half, or cream

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt and baking powder.

Freeze the butter for 30 minutes (or use very cold butter and work quickly); grate on the large holes of a box grater into the dry ingredients. Using your hands, toss the butter and flour mixture together until well combined. Add your mix-in ingredients and make sure they are well distributed.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the half and half, vanilla extract and any other liquid ingredients to the beaten eggs and whisk together.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Make well in

the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Using a flexible bowl scraper, mix them until the dough starts to hold together. Place the partially formed dough on a clean counter or sheet pan, and gently fold the dough over like a book until it barely holds together. You want see streaks of butter in your dough.

For full-sized scones, divide the dough in half. Form each half into a 5-6” circle (size will vary depending on the added ingredients) and about 3/4” thick.

For miniature scones, divide the dough into 4 pieces and form into 3” circles about 3/4” thick.

Using a floured bench scraper or a knife, cut the circles into 6 wedges. Brush each circle with half and half, and sprinkle with coarse sugar, cinnamon sugar or turbinado sugar. If making a savory scone you can use grated cheese, herbs, seeds or nuts. Separate the wedges and freeze the scones for 30 minutes before baking. While the scones are chilling preheat the oven the oven to 425ºF with the rack in the upper third of the oven.

Bake the frozen scones for 18- 23 minutes for the full size, and 15-20 for mini scones, or until they are a light golden brown.

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Flavor Variations

Blueberry-Lemon Scones

Add 1 cup of blueberries and 2 tablespoon of lemon zest.

Glazed Scones with Orange and Cranberry

1 cup dried cranberries and 2 tablespoon orange zest.Add all ingredients to the dry mixture and combine.

Glaze: 1 cup confectioner’s sugar and 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice. Whisk until smooth; drizzle over cooled scones.

Ginger Scones

1/2 cup candied ginger, chopped fine, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and1 teaspoon ground ginger.Add all ingredients to the dry mixture and combine.

Fig-Orange Cardamom Scones

1/2 cup dried figs, stems removed and coarsely chopped; 1/2 cup orange juice; 2 teaspoons ground cardamom; 1 tablespoon orange zest.

Combine chopped figs and orange juice and microwave for 30 seconds; set aside to cool. Strain the figs and discard the orange juice before combining. Add the ground cardamom to the dry mixture; zest and figs to the wet mixture.

Blackberry Lavender & White Chocolate Scones

1 1/2 cups blackberries, 1 tablespoon dried lavender, 1/2 cup white chocolate chips. Add all ingredients to the dry mixture and combine.

Glazed Apple Cinnamon Scones

1 cup chopped apple, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix together the apple, brown sugar, salt and spices; add to the dry ingredients.

Glaze - combine 1 cup confectioner’s sugar and 1-3 tablespoons milk; drizzle over cooled scones.

Sweet

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SCONES:THEY’RE

VERSATILE

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Savory

OMIT THE VANILLA AND REDUCE THE SUGAR TO 2 TABLESPOONS; ADD 1-2 CUPS OF SAVORY ADD-INS.

Prosciutto, Parmesan, Sage Scones

1/2 cup prosciutto, finely chopped; 1 cup grated Parmesan; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage.

Add all ingredients to the dry mixture and combine; top with Parmesan cheese.

Cheddar, Bacon, Scallion Scones

1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon; 1 1/4 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese.

Add all ingredients to the dry mixture and combine; top with grated cheddar.

Spinach and Feta Scones

1 cup cooked, drained and finely chopped spinach; 2/3 cup feta, crumbled; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill.

Add all ingredients to the dry mixture and combine; top with sesame seeds or dill.

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Butternut, Fontina and Sage Scones

1 cup roasted butternut squash cubes, 3/4 cup grated fontina cheese, 4 tablespoons chopped fresh sage.

Add all ingredients to the dry mixture and combine; top with grated fontina cheese.

Pesto Scones

1 cup homemade basil pesto; add to liquid ingredients before adding to the dry and combining. Top with parmesan cheese or pine nuts.

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